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neither do we know the Son as we ought to know Him; and indeed Paul, 57.431 declaring this very thing, said; For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. Then, having brought them by what He had said to a state of desire, and having shown His power to be unspeakable, He then calls them, saying; Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Not this person and that person, but all who are in cares, in sorrows, in sins. Come, not that I may demand an account, but that I may loose your sins. Come, not because I need your glory, but because I need your salvation. For I, He says, will give you rest. He did not say, I will save you, only; but what was much more, I will place you in all security. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. For do not be afraid, He says, when you hear of a yoke; for it is easy. Do not be alarmed because I said a burden; for it is light. And how did He say before, "Narrow is the gate, and afflicted is the way"? When you are slothful, when you are remiss; for if you accomplish what has been said, the burden will be light; which is why He now called it such. And how is it accomplished? If you become humble and gentle and meek. For this virtue is the mother of all philosophy. This is why, when beginning those divine laws, He started from this point. And here again He does this same thing, and sets forth the greatest prize. For you become useful not only to another, but you also give rest to yourself before all others, He says. For you will find rest for your souls. And even before the things to come, He gives you your reward from this, and already provides the prize, and by this and by setting Himself as an example in the midst, He makes His word easy to accept. γʹ. For what do you fear? He says; that you will be diminished by being humble? Consider me, and all that is mine; learn from me, and then you will know clearly how great the good is. Do you see how through all things He leads them into humility? From what He Himself did: For learn from me, for I am gentle; from what they themselves are about to gain: For you will find, He says, rest for your souls; from what He grants to them: For I too will give you rest, He says; from what He made light: For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. So also does Paul, saying; For this momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. And how is the burden light, he says, when He says, "If anyone does not hate father and mother"; and, "Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me"; and, "Whoever does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple"; when He commands to give up even one's own soul? Let Paul teach you, saying, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or persecution? or famine? or nakedness? or peril? or sword?" and that "The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us." Let those from the council of the Jews teach you, who after countless scourgings returned, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of Christ. 57.432 But if you still fear and tremble, hearing of the yoke and the burden, the fear is not of the nature of the thing, but of your own slothfulness; for if you are prepared and have eagerness, all things will be easy and light for you. For this reason Christ, showing that we must also labor ourselves, did not say only the easy things and fall silent, nor only the burdensome things, but has set forth both. For He both spoke of a yoke, and called it easy; and named a burden, and added that it was light; so that you might neither flee from them as toilsome, nor despise them as exceedingly easy. But if even after all this, virtue seems difficult to you, consider that wickedness is more difficult; and hinting at this very thing, He did not say first, "Take my yoke," but first, "Come, you who labor and are heavy laden," showing that sin also has toil, and a heavy and unbearable burden. For He did not say only, "laboring," but also, "heavy laden."

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οὐδὲ τὸν Υἱὸν ἴσμεν ὡς χρὴ εἰδέναι· καὶ τοῦτο γοῦν αὐτὸ Παῦλος 57.431 δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· Ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν, καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν. Εἶτα καταστήσας διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτοὺς, καὶ δείξας αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ἄφατον, τότε καλεῖ λέγων· ∆εῦτε πρός με, πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, κἀγὼ ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς. Οὐχ ὁ δεῖνα καὶ ὁ δεῖνα, ἀλλὰ πάντες οἱ ἐν φροντίσιν, οἱ ἐν λύπαις, οἱ ἐν ἁμαρτίαις. ∆εῦτε, οὐχ ἵνα ἀπαιτήσω εὐθύνας, ἀλλ' ἵνα λύσω τὰ ἁμαρτήματα. ∆εῦτε, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ δέομαι ὑμῶν τῆς δόξης, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ δέομαι ὑμῶν τῆς σωτηρίας. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀναπαύσω ὑμᾶς. Οὐκ εἶπε, Σώσω, μόνον· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὃ πολλῷ πλέον ἦν, Ἐν ἀδείᾳ καταστήσω πάσῃ. Ἄρατε τὸν ζυγόν μου ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, καὶ μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ· καὶ εὑρήσετε ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν. Ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς, καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν. Μὴ γὰρ φοβηθῆτε, φησὶ, ζυγὸν ἀκούοντες· χρηστὸς γάρ ἐστι· μὴ δείσητε, ἐπειδὴ φορτίον εἶπον· ἐλαφρὸν γάρ ἐστι. Καὶ πῶς ἔμπροσθεν ἔλεγε· Στενὴ ἡ πύλη, καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδός; Ὅταν ῥᾴθυμος ᾖς, ὅταν ἀναπεπτωκώς· ὡς ἐὰν κατορθώσῃς τὰ εἰρημένα, ἐλαφρὸν ἔσται τὸ φορτίον· διὸ καὶ νῦν αὐτὸ τοιοῦτον ἐκάλεσε. Πῶς δὲ κατορθοῦται; Ἂν ταπεινὸς γένῃ καὶ πρᾶος καὶ ἐπιεικής. Αὕτη γὰρ μήτηρ ἐστὶν ἡ ἀρετὴ φιλοσοφίας ἁπάσης. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀρχόμενος τῶν θείων νόμων ἐκείνων, ἐντεῦθεν ἤρξατο. Καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καὶ μέγιστον τίθησι τὸ ἔπαθλον. Οὐ γὰρ ἑτέρῳ γίνῃ χρήσιμος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ σαυτὸν πρὸ πάντων ἀναπαύεις, φησίν. Εὑρήσετε γὰρ ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν. Καὶ πρὸ τῶν μελλόντων ἐντεῦθεν δίδωσί σοι τὴν ἀμοιβὴν, καὶ τὸ βραβεῖον ἤδη παρέχει, καὶ ταύτῃ καὶ τῷ ἑαυτὸν ὑπόδειγμα θεῖναι εἰς μέσον, εὐπαράδεκτον ποιῶν τὸν λόγον. γʹ. Τί γὰρ δέδοικας; φησί· μὴ ἐλαττωθῇς ταπεινὸς ὤν; Ἐμὲ σκόπει, καὶ τὰ ἐμὰ πάντα· ἀπ' ἐμοῦ μάνθανε, καὶ τότε εἴσῃ σαφῶς, ἡλίκον τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς διὰ πάντων αὐτοὺς ἐνάγει εἰς τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην; Ἀφ' ὧν αὐτὸς ἐποίησε· Μάθετε γὰρ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι· ἀφ' ὧν αὐτοὶ κερδαίνειν μέλλουσιν· Εὑρήσετε γὰρ, φησὶν, ἀνάπαυσιν ταῖς ψυχαῖς ὑμῶν· ἀφ' ὧν αὐτοῖς χαρίζεται· Ἀναπαύσω γὰρ ὑμᾶς κἀγὼ, φησίν· ἀφ' ὧν κοῦφον αὐτὸ κατεσκεύασεν· Ὁ γὰρ ζυγός μου χρηστὸς, καὶ τὸ φορτίον μου ἐλαφρόν ἐστιν. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ποιεῖ λέγων· Τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως καθ' ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται. Καὶ πῶς ἐλαφρὸν, φησὶ, τὸ φορτίον, ὅταν λέγῃ· Ἐὰν μή τις μισήσῃ πατέρα καὶ μητέρα· καὶ, Ὃς οὐκ αἴρει τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθεῖ μοι, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος· καὶ, Ὃς οὐκ ἀποτάσσεται πᾶσιν αὐτοῦ τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν, οὐ δύναταί μου εἶναι μαθητής· ὅταν κελεύῃ καὶ αὐτὴν ἐκδιδόναι τὴν ψυχήν; ∆ιδασκέτω σε Παῦλος λέγων· Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ; θλῖψις; ἢ στενοχωρία; ἢ διωγμός; ἢ λιμός; ἢ γυμνότης; ἢ κίνδυνος; ἢ μάχαιρα; καὶ ὅτι Οὐκ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν ἀποκαλυφθῆναι εἰς ἡμᾶς. ∆ιδασκέτωσάν σε οἱ ἐκ τοῦ συνεδρίου τῶν Ἰουδαίων μετὰ μυρίας μάστιγας ὑποστρέφοντες, καὶ χαίροντες ὅτι κατηξιώθησαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ 57.432 ἀτιμασθῆναι. Εἰ δὲ ἔτι δέδοικας καὶ φρίττεις, τὸν ζυγὸν καὶ τὸ φορτίον ἀκούων, οὐ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ πράγματος ὁ φόβος, ἀλλὰ τῆς σῆς ῥᾳθυμίας· ὡς ἐὰν ᾖς παρεσκευασμένος καὶ προθυμίαν ἔχων, πάντα σοι ῥᾴδια ἔσται καὶ κοῦφα. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δεικνὺς ὅτι δεῖ καὶ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς πονεῖν, οὐ τὰ χρηστὰ μόνον εἶπε, καὶ ἐσίγησεν, οὐδὲ τὰ φορτικὰ μόνον, ἀλλ' ἑκάτερα τέθεικε. Καὶ γὰρ ζυγὸν εἶπε, καὶ χρηστὸν ἐκάλεσε· καὶ φορτίον ὠνόμασε, καὶ ἐλαφρὸν προσέθηκεν· ἵνα μήτε ὡς ἐπίπονα φύγῃς, μήτε ὡς σφόδρα εὐκόλων καταφρονήσῃς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πάντα δύσκολον ἡ ἀρετὴ εἶναί σοι δοκεῖ, ἐννόησον ὅτι δυσκολώτερον ἡ κακία· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ αὐτὸ αἰνιττόμενος, οὐ πρότερον εἶπε, Λάβετε τὸν ζυγόν μου, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον, ∆εῦτε, οἱ κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορτισμένοι, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία κόπον ἔχει, καὶ φορτίον βαρὺ καὶ δυσβάστακτον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ, Κοπιῶντες, εἶπε μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ, Πεφορτισμένοι.